semlex Group partners the Chadian Ministry of Public Security in the implementation and management of a secure system for producing and issuing national ID cards. The system will be used to issue 4 million ID cards from six production sites and nine mobile issuing stations over a 5-year period. To make sure that the system is as secure as the ID document, the use of fingerprint biometrics is embedded in both the enrolment and the issuance process. It is also used to authenticate and authorise system operators. Chad is one of the first African countries to introduce an ID card production and issuance system that incorporates the latest biometric technologies. How and why was this system implemented? Does it actually work? How is it used to reduce fraud? How does it ensure that a secure ID document is issued to its legitimate holder? This article offers answers to the above questions.